Monthly Archives: November 2007

November 28, 2007 — Scott Johnson

Best and worst of the debate

Until John Hinderaker and Paul Mirengoff can weigh in, I offer my assessment of the CNN Youtube debate’s highs and lows tonight. Best performance: Mitt Romney. Runner up: Mike Huckabee (“Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office,” offset by Huckabee’s dancing around on tuition tax breaks for illegals). Lowest blow: Rudy Giuliani, on Romney’s “sanctuary mansion.” Mayor Giuliani is apparently a proponent of mutual assured destruction. I »
November 28, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

Can Huckabee win in Iowa?

Chris Cillizza concludes that “it is possible, but it won’t be easy.” My view is, why the heck not. As Cillizza reminds us, Pat Buchanan (1992) and Pat Robertson (1988) captured 23 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of the caucus goers in that state. And in 2000, Alan Keyes and Gary Bauer polled a combined 23 percent. »
November 28, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

Can Romney maintain his conservative support?

Jennifer Rubin, a Giuliani supporter, claims that “little by little, the attacks by Mr. Romney »
November 28, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

“Youths” riot again in France

The Paris suburb of Villiers-le-Bel has been plagued for several days by riots and the violence has spread to other areas as well. The problem stems from an accident at an intersection in which a motorcycle (which authorities say was speeding) collided with a police car killing the two people on the smaller vehicle, both of whom were teenagers of North African descent. Based on the pretext that this was »
November 28, 2007 — John Hinderaker

Live-Blog the YouTube Debate

I won’t be able to watch the CNN-YouTube Republican Presidential debate tonight; I’ll be working. But if you’re planning on watching, join in our group live-blog of the event by going here. It’s a fun way to see what others think of the debate and add your own comments. »
November 28, 2007 — Scott Johnson

Who’s trembling at Harvard?

In today’s Harvard Crimson Julia Bertelsmann addresses the claim that critics of Israel fear to speak their mind on campus. A Harvard undergraduate with relevant experience, Bertelsmann points out that exactly the opposite is true. I touched on one of the Harvard professors whose charges give rise to Bertelsmann’s excellent column in “A Faustian bargain.” »
November 28, 2007 — Scott Johnson

Never mind

About that Washington Times story on terrorists targeting an Army base in Arizona: FBI spokesman Manuel Johnson has declared that the threat wasn’t credible. The Washington Times story was based on a leaked FBI advisory and “a Department of Homeland Security document” with respect to which the Times itself raised credibility issues that appear to have been warranted. »
November 28, 2007 — Scott Johnson

When words lose their meaning

President Bush’s July 2007 announcement of the regional peace conference that convened in Annapolis yesterday provided that attendance was to to be limited to representatives of nations that support a two-state solution, reject violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and commit to all previous agreements between the parties. Adhering to this limitation, however, would have resulted in a small party. The limitation was therefore abandoned in a big way. The »
November 28, 2007 — Scott Johnson

…You must acquit?

In “When the Mitt doesn’t fit” I wrote about the following paragraph of the Christian Science Monitor column by Mansoor Ijaz: I asked Mr. Romney whether he would consider including qualified Americans of the Islamic faith in his cabinet as advisers on national security matters, given his position that “jihadism” is the principal foreign policy threat facing America today. He answered, “ »
November 27, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

A narcissist or a fool

This is as good a take as I’ve seen on Annapolis. It comes from Noah Pollak at Contentions: Annapolis is really about the Bush administration, not the peace process. It has been Condi »
November 27, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

Dubious achievement awards

The Senate is well on its way to setting a new record for the fewest appellate court nominees confirmed during a president »
November 27, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

Rudy’s non-conservative attack rhetoric

Politics ain »
November 27, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

A general the Democrats can embrace

Our friend Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret who served as a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan administration, takes a look at the Democrats »
November 27, 2007 — Scott Johnson

Overcoming history, part 2

Josh Gerstein continues his exploration of the radical connections in Hillary Clinton’s past in “Hillary Clinton’s left hook.” Late in the story my old boss — Eighth Circuit Judge Myron Bright of Fargo, North Dakota — makes a surprising cameo appearance. Gerstein fairly concludes that that the story “illustrates the complicated relationship between Mrs. Clinton and radical activists who were often frustrated by the failure of Mrs. Clinton and her »
November 27, 2007 — Scott Johnson

Send in the clowns

As the Annapolis conference convenes today, Andrew McCarthy salutes it perfectly in “Farce.” Rick Richman takes off from McCarthy’s outstanding column in “Selling the same promise three times.” Barry Rubin explores one of the conference’s many anomalies in “Drilling a hole in a lifeboat.” JOHN adds: This morning, President Bush says “the time is right for Mideast peace.” That would suggest that something has changed, but it’s hard to say »
November 27, 2007 — Scott Johnson

When the Mitt doesn’t fit

In a column for today’s Christian Science Monitor, Mansoor Ijaz quotes Governor Romney as follows: I asked Mr. Romney whether he would consider including qualified Americans of the Islamic faith in his cabinet as advisers on national security matters, given his position that “jihadism” is the principal foreign policy threat facing America today. He answered, “ »
November 26, 2007 — Paul Mirengoff

Are these caucuses really necessary?

I haven »